Department for Transport

Railways: Bradford

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to improve rail connections between Bradford and (a) London, (b) the rest of the Northern Powerhouse and (c) the rest of the UK.

Claire Perry: Under the new East Coast franchise Bradford will benefit from a significant increase in the number of direct services to and from London with an additional 6 trains per day from 2019. In addition upgraded train interiors will be introduced by 2017, and new IEP trains from 2020 - providing faster journeys and improved on-board facilities. As part of the first steps to delivering the Northern Powerhouse the Government has required bidders for the new Northern and TransPennine Express franchises to replace outdated trains, add a third more capacity and invest in stations. The Government has specified an increase from 2 to 3 trains per hour between Bradford and Manchester via Halifax from 2019 (Monday-Saturday) and an increased Sunday frequency – from two hourly to hourly – from Bradford to Skipton and Ilkley. Looking further ahead, HS2 will enable significantly improved journey times from Bradford via a connection at Leeds to a wide range of destinations. The Government has also established Transport for the North (TfN) to formalise cooperation with Northern City Regions and Local Enterprise Partnerships on transport issues in the North. The Department is working closely with TfN, Network Rail and HS2 Ltd to take forward the development of rail plans to support the development of the Northern Powerhouse.

Rescue Services: North Devon

Peter Heaton-Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure that North Devon constituency is adequately covered by search and rescue services (a) in the summer and (b) at other times when such services are no longer based at RMB Chivenor.

Mr Robert Goodwill: North Devon will continue to be served by search and rescue (SAR) helicopters operating from military bases at RMB Chivenor through to 1 October 2015 and RNAS Culdrose through to 1 January 2016. A new UK SAR helicopter service operating from new bases at Cardiff St Athan and Newquay Airport will take the place of SAR helicopter services currently operated out of RMB Chivenor and RNAS Culdrose. The start of these new services will coincide with the end of the military services at Chivenor and Culdrose, leaving no gap in SAR helicopter cover for south west England and south Wales. New helicopters offer improved operational capabilities and promise enhanced reliability.

Railways: Mobile Phones

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with mobile network operators on (a) digital infrastructure and inclusion and (b) reform of the Electronic Communications Code since 7 May 2015.

Claire Perry: No such discussions have taken place. All mobile network operators were invited to respond to our call for evidence on improving mobile communications to UK rail passengers.This call for evidence, which has now closed, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/434379/Improving_mobile_communications_to_UK_rail_passengers.pdf

Department for Transport: Public Expenditure

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of the £3.4 billion reduction in capital expenditure for his Department he plans will apply to (a) the roads budget, (b) the rail budget and (c) other budgets; and what proportion of the reduction to the roads budget will apply to (i) the Highways Agency, (ii) local authority maintenance, (iii) local authority major projects and (iv) other areas.

Mr Robert Goodwill: HM Treasury has published the central government main supply estimates for 2015-16.   The Department for Transport’s Estimate for 2014-15 included a Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) of £9.5 billion, whereas the planned Capital DEL expenditure for 2015-16 is £6.1 billion, a difference of £3.4 billion.   However, this is largely due to the reclassification of Network Rail to Central Government, not any reduction in capital expenditure.　 From 1 April 2015, all elements of Network Rail’s income, capital and resource expenditure are consolidated through the Department as Annually Managed Expenditure. The Network Rail grant (£3.8 billion in 2015-16), formerly treated as Capital DEL, no longer scores in the Department’s budgets on consolidation.

Railways

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions he has had with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport on improving wifi coverage and mobile connectivity across the UK rail network.

Claire Perry: I meet regularly with my counterparts at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to discuss improving Wi-Fi coverage and mobile connectivity across the UK rail network, and on 10 June 2015, my hon Friend, the Minister of State for Culture and Digital Economy, the hon Member for Wantage (Ed Vaizey) and I launched a call for evidence to seek information on how best to tackle poor coverage.

Department for Communities and Local Government

Playing Fields

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what information his Department holds on the number of local community cricket and rugby pitches in (a) England, (b) East Sussex and (c) Wealden constituency that have (i) been sold for redevelopment and (ii) stopped being used for that purpose for other reasons in the (A) five, (B) 10 and (c) 15 years.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government does not hold this information.

Housing

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, if he will take steps to enhance the transparency of the operation and financial performance of management companies for housing.

Brandon Lewis: Managing agents must comply with the obligations in the lease, and must comply with landlord and tenant legislation. This sets out a framework of rights and protections for leaseholders, and also places particular obligations on landlords, and managing agents acting on their behalf. This includes providing information about service charges where a written request is made. Managing agents should also comply with two Codes of Practice approved by the Secretary of State for the management of residential leasehold property.Since 1 October 2014 managing agents have also been required to belong to one of three Government approved redress schemes, to whom leaseholders can take a complaint. We continue to consider ways to improve transparency in the residential leasehold sector without adding disproportionate burdens and costs.

Community Relations

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what recent assessment he has made of progress in implementing his Department's strategy set out in its paper entitled, Creating the conditions for integration, published in 2012.

Mr Marcus Jones: As detailed in "Creating the Conditions for Integration", integration is achieved when neighbourhoods, families and individuals come together on issues that matter to them. We focus on supporting shared activities to bring people together to enable strong communities where people feel they belong. Since 2011, we have provided over £50 million to support integration projects. Decisions on the provision of funding for integration projects and activities are supported by an assessment of how the likely outcomes will contribute to the key contributors of integration, as set out in our paper. Each organisation receiving funding has a grant agreement against which it is monitored to ensure that agreed outcomes and milestones are met.

Mayors

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, for what reasons the Government does not propose to make adoption of the metro mayor model subject to a local referendum.

Mr Mark Francois: If an area adopts a metro mayor, this will be part of a Deal for devolving major powers and budgets that the Government agrees with those democratically elected to represent the area.

Local Government: Living Wage

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, whether the requirement on local authorities to pay staff the National Living Wage will be treated as a new burden.

Mr Marcus Jones: The new burdens doctrine does not apply to policies which apply the same rules to local authorities and to private sector bodies, unless these have a disproportionate effect on local government. The impact on local government of the introduction of the National Living Wage will be considered during the Spending Review as part of an overall assessment of spending pressures.

Housing: Energy

Daniel Zeichner: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what estimate his Department has made of (a) how many and (b) what proportion of all completions of new homes sold in England and Wales have received an A grade for energy efficiency in their Energy Performance Certificate since 2010.

James Wharton: For the period Jan 2010 – 30 June 2015, 7,637 new build properties were registered as receiving an A rating. This represents approximately 1% of the new build properties lodged on the register during the same period. Because an A rating exceeds required Building Regulations standards there will be a limited proportion of new construction seeking to achieve this.  The percentage of B rated properties during the same period is 66% - properties achieving a B rating will be generally more energy efficient than the majority of the pre-2010 stock.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Gibraltar: Spain

Ian Paisley: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Spanish Government on the most recent incursion into Gibraltar waters by a Spanish vessel.

Mr David Lidington: The unlawful incursion by a Spanish State research vessel into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters on 3 July - during which its probe struck a Royal Navy vessel - was unacceptable. We protested immediately to the Spanish government at a senior level. It is fortunate that no-one was hurt and no serious damage was done.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Languages

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many fluent (a) Urdu, (b) Punjabi, (c) Pashto and (d) Sindhi speakers his Department employed in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There is no mandatory requirement for staff employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to have fluency in a language. We do not hold the information requested broken down by year, but the latest information on our personnel database shows 37 staff with skills in Urdu, 25 in Punjabi and 1 in Pashto at varying levels, and none in Sindhi. Staff appointed to jobs where proficiency in the local language is essential for their role are offered fulltime language training and many of our locally engaged staff in our Posts overseas are native speakers or are fluent in the local language.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Languages

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many fluent (a) Hausa, (b) Fulani and (c) Kanuri speakers his Department employed in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There is no mandatory requirement for staff employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to have fluency in a language. We do not hold the information requested broken down by year, but the latest information on our personnel database shows that we have no staff with registered skills in Hausa, Fulani or Kanuri. Staff appointed to jobs where proficiency in the local language is essential for their role are offered fulltime language training and many of our locally engaged staff in our Posts overseas are native speakers or are fluent in the local language.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Arabic

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many fluent Arabic speakers his Department employed in each of the last five years.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: There is no mandatory requirement for staff employed by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to have fluency in a language. We do not hold the information requested broken down by year, but the latest information on our personnel database shows that we have 131 staff with registered skills in Arabic at varying levels. Staff appointed to jobs where proficiency in the local language is essential for their role are offered fulltime language training and many of our locally engaged staff in our Posts overseas are native speakers or are fluent in the local language.

Macedonia: Human Rights

Mr Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the government of Macedonia on (a) mass surveillance, (b) individual independence and (c) freedom of speech.

Mr David Lidington: We, together with EU and international partners, have consistently set out our concerns about breaches of fundamental rights, freedom of speech and the politicisation of institutions to Prime Minister Gruevski and other representatives of the Macedonian government. The British Embassy in Skopje demarched, along with members of the Quint (US, EU delegation, France, Germany and Italy) Prime Minister Gruevski in March and again in May in view of the ongoing political crisis in Macedonia. I discussed the situation in Macedonia with Foreign Minister Poposki in Brussels on 19 May.

Macedonia: Human Rights

Mr Pat McFadden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has received on freedom of speech and surveillance in Macedonia.

Mr David Lidington: My Department, including the British Embassy in Skopje, is in close and regular contact with civil society and political representatives on freedom of speech and surveillance in Macedonia.

South East Asia: Human Trafficking

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterparts in Malaysia and Thailand on ensuring that people are not trafficked from those countries.

Mr Hugo Swire: The United Kingdom takes all human rights issues seriously and looks to tackle slave labour and human trafficking in coordination with our international partners.The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond) met Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah in June. He welcomed Malaysia’s regional leadership on the recent migration crisis and encouraged a continued regional approach. Our officials have lobbied ASEAN member states, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia, to do the same. We have cooperated with Malaysia on human trafficking, including at a workshop in January and an earlier visit by Malaysian officials to the UK Human Trafficking Centre. In June, senior officials met the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in Kuala Lumpur.Since the Thai coup of May 2014, high-level political bilateral exchanges with the Thai military government have been postponed or cancelled. However, as part of our inaugural strategic dialogue with Thailand in 2013, which I co-chaired, the UK and Thailand committed to work together to combat transnational crimes, including human trafficking. We continue to look for opportunities to raise this issue where and when we can, including in future negotiations over an EU-Thailand Free Trade Agreement, where issues of regulation and labour standards will feature prominently.We continue to work with the Thai authorities on the disruption of human trafficking and irregular migration and have issued statements in support of activists working on the issue of migrants’ human rights. We also work with UK industry to support ethical supply chains and promote greater awareness within the UK of where products and services have been sourced.

UK Membership of EU: Referendums

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if the Government will include in its proposed referendum on UK membership of the EU a separate question on approving any changes that have been agreed to the UK's terms of membership of the EU.

Mr David Lidington: The question in the Bill is simple, short and fair. We have no plans to include a separate question.

EU Law

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many times (a) the UK, (b) France and (c) Germany voted against proposed EU legislation in the Council of Ministers that was approved by a qualified majority in each year from 2010 to 2014.

Mr David Lidington: The Govenment does not keep a centralised record of this information, but the information requested regarding voting records of aa Member States on EU legislation is publicly available on the website of the Council of Ministers. These records go back to 1999.

EU Law

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many pieces of proposed EU legislation were approved by a qualified majority in the EU Council of Ministers despite either the UK, France or Germany voting against that legislation in each year from 2010 to 2014.

Mr David Lidington: The information requested regarding voting records of Member States on EU legislation is publicly available on the website of the Council of Ministers. These records go back to 1999.

China: Overseas Companies

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that the assets of UK companies trading in China are protected during the economic downturn in that country.

Mr Hugo Swire: We provide a wide range of advice to British business on long term economic trends and the business environment in China. This includes information about trade and investment opportunities; regularly updated guidance on the Overseas Business Risk; support for companies with Intellectual Property cases (worth tens of millions of pounds to British business per year); and analysis of legislative and regulatory changes.We encourage all companies doing business in and with China to carry out their own due diligence and build their understanding of the market, including through the knowledge and insights of local partners and professional advisers.  The Chancellor of the Exchequer, my right hon. Friend the Member for Tatton (Mr Osborne), discusses economic and financial collaboration in his annual Economic and Financial Dialogue with China. We also run a number of projects to help improve the business environment in China, including on commercial arbitration, inward investment and anti-corruption. We also support the EU’s technical assistance project on competition law.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Stuart Blair Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the name, responsibilities and pay band are of each special adviser in his Department.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my Rt Hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 13 July 2015 to Question No. 5983

Terrorism: British Nationals Abroad

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the safety from terrorism of UK citizens on holiday overseas.

Mr Philip Hammond: The safety of British nationals is our overriding priority. This Government has set out a clear strategy to tackle terrorism at home and abroad. We will continue to work with our partners and in countries where terrorist groups operate in order to prevent attacks. We will continue to produce objective travel advice based upon the latest Joint Terrorism Assessment Centre security assessments to allow British people to make informed decisions about travel.

China

Sammy Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the government of China on the alleged harvesting of organs from Falun Gong prisoners held in China.

Mr Hugo Swire: I remain concerned by reports of organ harvesting, which we have raised on numerous occasions, including at the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in April this year.The Chinese government has repeatedly denied allegations that organs are forcibly removed from detainees. We are aware that organs removed from executed prisoners have been used for human transplantation purposes in China; Chinese law requires that prisoners give prior consent that their organs be used in this way.We welcome steps taken by the Chinese government in recent years to improve the regulation of organ transplantation, for example the reports that suggest China would stop using organs harvested from executed prisoners from January of this year. Implementation of this policy is an important step.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Stuart Blair Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what the name, responsibilities and pay band are of each special adviser in his Department.

Alun Cairns: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my Rt hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office on Monday, 13 July 2015.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Medicine: Research

Stephen McPartland: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the benefits of supporting medical research and development to the (a) UK science sector, (b) NHS and (c) economy.

George Freeman: In 2014 the HEFCE supported Research Excellence Framework conducted the largest ever assessment of academic research impact. A selection of just 10 of the 1600 impact case studies submitted to the clinical sciences REF panel were found to contribute roughly £2 billion in economic benefit between 2008 and 2012. Work to systematically collect details of the output from all research council funded work has established a national database of more than 1 million reports of achievements linked to more than £40 billion of public and charity funded research projects, which is proving to be a comprehensive approach to describe the benefits of supporting not only medical research but research across all disciplines. More than 100 research organisations are now subscribing to this approach including the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) and Cancer Research UK. Recent academic studies in to the returns to medical research estimated the returns to the UK economy from cardiovascular research at 39% and returns from cancer research at 40%. There is ongoing further research to refine these estimates. Finally, the UK is one of world’s strongest performers in Health and Medical Science research and is ranked 1st in field weighted citation index for Health & Medical science research of comparator nations. In 2012, the UK accounted for 8.9% of all Health and Medical Science publications (2nd out of comparator nations) and for 16% of the top 1% most highly cited research (2nd out of comparator nations).

Living Wage

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what discussions he has had with businesses to encourage the paying of the living wage.

Nick Boles: From April 2016, the Government will introduce a new National Living Wage for all workers aged 25 and over. This will mean that 6 million people will see their pay rise over this Parliament with a cash increase for a full-time worker of around £5,000. We continue to support and encourage employers to pay more if they can afford it.

Effect of UK Equity Markets on the Competitiveness of UK Business Review

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what progress his Department has made on implementing the recommendations in the Kay Review of UK equity markets and long-term decision making, published in July 2012.

Anna Soubry: The Department published a detailed progress report on the implementation of the Kay Review in October 2014. The Government is now considering what further steps would be appropriate to encourage a culture of long-term investment on the part of UK companies and their shareholders.

Investment: Treaties

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of investor-state dispute settlement systems and the outcomes of such disputes on decisions about the provision of public services in the UK.

Anna Soubry: The UK has Bilateral Investment Treaties in force with 94 countries and has never faced a serious investor-state dispute claim. The UK Government regulates in a responsible manner – by not discriminating on the basis of nationality or expropriating assets without compensation – therefore the existence of investor-state dispute settlement systems doesn’t impact on decisions about public service provision in the UK.

Non-domestic Rates

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of business rates on micro-businesses.

Anna Soubry: The government recognises that business rates represent a fixed cost which can be more burdensome during times of economic difficulty, particularly for small businesses. This is why, at Autumn Statement 2014, the Chancellor announced a £1 billion package of business rates support measures, with a focus on small businesses. This package included doubling the Small Business Rate Relief scheme until April 2016 supporting 575,000 businesses operating from single small properties. The impact of business rates on the smallest businesses is also one of the issues that will be considered under the fundamental review of the business rates system which the Chancellor launched in March 2015 and is due to report by the end of 2015.

Insolvency

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many complaints about (a) pre-pack sales and (b) connected party pre-pack sales were received in each year from 2010 to 2014.

Anna Soubry: The Insolvency Service does not have complete data for pre-pack complaints ahead of the establishment of the Complaint Gateway in June 2013, which sought to give greater transparency around the complaint process. There have been nine complaints about insolvency practitioners relating to a pre-pack administration received by the Complaints Gateway between June 2013 and December 2014. Complaints data is not broken down between connected and non-connected pre-pack sales.

Innovation and Science

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what (a) processes, (b) timeframe and (c) deadlines he has set for the establishment of science and innovation audits; what support his Department and its agencies plan to provide to people undertaking such audits; whether he plans for all local enterprise partnerships to conduct such audits; and what guidance he plans to issue on such audits.

Joseph Johnson: The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is currently developing the process and timeframe for the establishment of science and innovation audits. Formal guidance will be issued in the coming months.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: Cost Effectiveness

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, with reference to HM Treasury's press release, Chancellor announces £4.5 billion of measures to bring down debt, published on 4 June 2015, what savings he forecasts will be made from funds allocated by his Department to support energy-intensive industries.

Anna Soubry: As stated in the answer of 15 June 2015 to Question UIN 2125, savings were made in this area by identifying and surrendering funds that the government intended, but could not use, to extend compensation to several additional sectors this year. As we were still waiting for industry to provide the data to make our case for reviewing the European Commission’s state aid guidelines it was not possible to provide that support.

Sunday Trading

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether he plans to devolve powers on Sunday trading to (a) top-tier authorities, (b) district councils and (c) London boroughs.

Nick Boles: As announced in the Budget, the Government is consulting on proposals to devolve decision making on Sunday trading hours to a local level, for example, to elected metro mayors and/or Local Authorities, in England and Wales.   The decision on what tier of local authorities that power will be devolved to will be made on the basis of the outcome of the consultation.

Educational Institutions

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, by what date he expects a network of national colleges to be in place; and what national colleges are planned to be established.

Nick Boles: Subject to the assessment of proposals, we intend to have a network of industry-led National Colleges operational by September 2017. The National Colleges expected to submit their proposals are as follows – 1. National College for High Speed Rail2. National College for Nuclear3. National College for Wind Energy4. National College for Onshore Oil and Gas5. National College for Advanced Manufacturing6. National College for Digital Skills7. National College for Creative and Cultural Industries

Technology and Innovation Centres

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans he has for opening new Catapult centres.

Joseph Johnson: The Government is committed to the Catapult programme.   My Rt hon Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced during his visit to Alderley Park on 13 July a new Medicines Technologies Catapult to build on the UK’s excellence in life sciences.   We will continue to work with Innovate UK, businesses, universities and others to identify further opportunities.

Digital Technology

Mr Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, by what date he plans for each of the six next generation digital economy centres to be operational.

Joseph Johnson: The Next Generation Digital Economy Centres, announced in the Summer Budget, will start work on or by 1 October 2015 with the exception of the Centre in Swansea which is already operational.

Living Wage

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment he has made of whether the legal basis of the Low Pay Commission will need to be changed in order to set and implement the National Living Wage; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles: The Low Pay Commission (LPC) continues to play a critical role in providing recommendations for the National Minimum Wage rates, and now has new responsibilities to help deliver the Governments’ ambition for the National Living Wage (NLW).   The Government will continue to set the remit for the LPC on the existing legal base.

Department for International Development

Burma: Overseas Aid

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what conditions are attached to the financial aid her Department provides to Myanmar.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID is providing no financial assistance directly to the government of Burma. Our policy is that none of our bilateral aid is provided directly through central government systems, only through United Nations organisations, trusted international and local NGOs and, where circumstances allow, to authorities at the township level.

Yemen: Refugees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the effect of the conflict in Yemen on the number of Yemeni refugees fleeing to other areas in the Middle East.

Mr Desmond Swayne: Djibouti and Somalia have received most Yemeni refugees since the escalation of the conflict in Yemen in March 2015 based on available data. Humanitarian agencies report that approximately 9,583 Yemenis have fled to Djibouti and 2,113 have fled to Somalia. Data on the number of Yemenis who have fled to others countries in the Middle East is not yet available.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is continuing to take part in joint development programmes with the World Bank in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: The World Bank suspended its operations and projects in Yemen in March 2015. More detailed information on the suspension can be found at: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/03/11/world-bank-suspends-operations-in-yemen As a result of the World Bank’s decision and the increase in conflict in Yemen, DFID suspended its “Yemen Mutual Accountability Framework” and “Building an Evidence Base “programmes with the World Bank. We are however continuing to work with the World Bank on a Country Economic Memorandum for Yemen which is nearing finalisation. More detailed information about all DFID-funded programmes in Yemen can be found at: http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/countries/YE/.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is continuing to take part in joint development programmes with the International Foundation for Electoral Systems in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: In March 2015, following the increase in conflict in Yemen, DFID suspended its “Support to Elections in Phase II of Yemen’s Transition" programme, including the International Foundation for Electoral Systems’ activities. The programme formally ended on 31 May 2015.

Developing Countries: Females

Owen Thompson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that the voices of women working in developing countries to tackle violence against women are heard in the global decision-making processes.

Justine Greening: I am proud of the leadership role that my Department has taken, and continues to take, in tackling violence against women and girls. The voices of women and girls were at the heart of Girl Summit 2014 and the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, and we are making significant progress towards ending FGM, child early and forced marriage and sexual violence in conflict across the world. My Department regularly consults with women’s rights organisations and women in developing countries to tackle violence against women and girls, including through global decision-making processes such as the Sustainable Global Goals.

Overseas Aid

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps she is taking to ensure that all UK international aid is responsive to (a) climate change and (b) low carbon emissions; and if she will make a statement.

Grant Shapps: DFID’s responsibilities on climate and environment derive from the International Development Act’s commitment to sustainable development, based on the substantial evidence that poverty eradication is not possible without tackling climate change. Climate and environment risks and opportunities are considered as part of DFID’s programing to ensure it supports climate resilience and lower carbon growth to eradicate poverty. The capacity of DFID staff to do this has been developed through DFID’s ‘Future Fit’ programme which has worked with all DFID spending departments to develop climate plans.  In addition, the UK’s flagship International Climate Fund (ICF) has been used to integrate climate issues in DFID programmes in climate vulnerable sectors such as forestry, water, agriculture and disaster management. The ICF has already helped 15m people cope with the impacts of climate change, and created 39,000 jobs many of them in low carbon energy programmes that have provided access to low carbon energy to more than 2.8m people.

Yemen: Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department's joint development programmes with Save the Children in Yemen are active.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is continuing to take part in joint development programmes with Oxfam in Yemen.

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, whether her Department is continuing to take part in joint development programmes with CARE in Yemen.

Mr Desmond Swayne: DFID is continuing to fund Oxfam, CARE and Save the Children through the “Yemen Humanitarian Resilience Programme”, and Save the Children through the “Improving Nutrition in Yemen Programme” with UNICEF. Through these programmes, DFID is providing food, safe water, emergency livelihoods support, shelter and protection services, and helping to treat and prevent severe acute malnutrition.  More detailed information about all DFID Yemen funded programmes can be found at: http://devtracker.dfid.gov.uk/countries/YE/.

Department for Education

Education: Young People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 26 March 2015 to Question 228861, what support and advice her Department offers to local authorities which are having difficulty in getting young people to participate in education.

Nick Boles: Local authorities (LAs) have a statutory duty to support and encourage young people to participate, and to secure sufficient suitable education and training for all young people. The Government has published guidance for LAs on implementing these duties effectively, and has made available research into good practice including tips for LAs on implementing raising the participation age. LAs also take part in regional meetings to share good practice, and can access advice and guidance from high performing authorities. The Department for Education publishes LA participation data three times a year and LAs are encouraged to benchmark their performance against other areas and prioritise the improvement of participation levels accordingly.

Education: Young People

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Answer of 26 March 2015 to Question 228861, what mechanism her Department has in place to master those areas of the country which have higher than average levels of 16 and 17 year olds not in education or training.

Nick Boles: At the end of 2014 the proportion of 16 and 17 year olds in England not in education and training fell to 6.4% - its lowest level since consistent records began and 3.0ppt lower than at the end of 2010. This means that more young people have the opportunity to gain the skills and qualifications to reach their potential. Local Authorities (LAs) have a statutory duty to support and encourage young people to participate, and to secure sufficient suitable education and training for all young people - they can access guidance and advice on this from the Government and from one another. Government funded schemes such as the Youth Contract and Youth Engagement Fund pilots are available to support the participation of young people, along with other support from schools and colleges - and via European Social Fund provision and pilots for Jobcentre Plus to support young people to access local employment and training opportunities.

Department for Education: Birmingham

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, which local spending bodies in the city of Birmingham (a) her Department is responsible for and (b) draw on funds voted to her Department.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Secretary of State has signed funding agreements with 138 academies that fall within the boundaries of Birmingham City Council.

Young People: Counselling

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide more resources for counselling in schools for young people; and if she will make a statement.

Mr Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of (a) the adequacy of counselling services in schools for young people and (b) the effectiveness of curriculum content on emotional well-being and self-harm.

Mr Sam Gyimah: We recognise that schools have a vital role to play in helping to promote good mental health for all their pupils as well as providing early support where mental health problems have been identifiedSchools are best placed to decide what support and teaching they need to provide and we know that many schools provide their pupils with counselling. While we do not collect detailed central information on this provision, we have produced a blueprint for school counselling services which provides schools with practical, evidence-based advice informed by schools and counselling experts on how to deliver high quality school based counselling. More information can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/counselling-in-schools. However, teachers are not mental health professionals and it is important that students can get swift access to specialist mental health support where needed. An additional £1.25bn is available for mental health services for children, young people and new mothers over the next 5 years, to ensure timely access to appropriate specialist support is available.In March 2015, we published a review of the research evidence for Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education teaching. This covers effective practice and teaching as well as the impact of PSHE teaching on pupil’s outcomes, including their emotional health and well-being and their academic attainment. This research is published online here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pshe-education-a-review-of-impact-and-effective-practiceWe have already funded the PSHE Association to produce guidance to improve teaching about mental health in PSHE which was published in March 2015. This will be supplemented by detailed lesson plans for Key Stages 1-4. More information is available online here https://www.pshe-association.org.uk/news_detail.aspx?ID=1435

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the lessons to be learned set out in the bulletin on new psychoactive substances, published in July 2015 by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman; and what steps he is taking to reduce deaths in prisons linked to the new psychoactive substances.

Andrew Selous: Every death in custody is a tragedy, and we are committed to reducing the number of deaths in prisons. We work hard to learn lessons from each death, and we have accepted and acted on the vast majority of recommendations from recent investigations by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, including those relating to new psychoactive substances brought together in the Ombudsman’s bulletin. NOMS is aware of the increase of the use of these psychoactive substances across the prison estate and there is a wide-ranging programme of work being undertaken to counteract them. This includes joint work with the Home Office on legislation, the Psychoactive Substances Bill, to tackle the supply across the UK. This will allow governors to press for the prosecution of those supplying new psychoactive substances in prisons. Additionally, work is underway to develop new drug tests to detect these substances, and to train drug dogs to detect them, as well as to strengthen perimeter defences. NOMS is also working with the police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that there is as effective a response as possible to any new psychoactive substance being brought or thrown into prison. We will continue to explore new methods of preventing drugs coming into prisons such as new generation body scanners. We have also included a clause within the Serious Crime Bill, which with Parliaments agreement will create an offence of throwing or projecting any item over a prison perimeter so that it lands in a prison. There is a continuing campaign to ensure that all prisoners are aware of the very serious risks that new psychoactive substances bring, and NOMS is working with Public Health England on updating clinical guidance on the management of substance misuse in adult prisons and providing a new psychoactive substances toolkit specifically for prisons.

Judges

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will undertake research into public confidence in the power of veto held by the Lord Chief Justice on the Lord Chancellor's power to remove circuit and district judges and the potential for conflict of interest to arise.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The rules and regulations governing judicial discipline (including removal from office) were subject to formal review and public consultation in 2012. There are no plans to undertake further research.

Dental Services: Cosmetics

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2015 to Question 3944, how many people were convicted in each magistrates' court in (a) Lancashire, (b) Greater Manchester, (c) Merseyside, (d) Cheshire and (e) Cumbria for carrying out tooth whitening illegally under section 38 of the Dentists Act 1984 in 2014.

Andrew Selous: The number of offenders found guilty of carrying out tooth whitening treatment illegally in the requested areas of the North West of England in 2014 can be viewed in the table below.Offenders found guilty of carrying out tooth whitening illegally (1), North West of England, 2014 (2)(3)  AreaTotal  Cumbria-Lancashire1Merseyside1Greater Manchester1Cheshire-  '-' = Nil   (1) Offence prosecuted under Section 38 of the Dentists Act 1984  (2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.  (3) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.  Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.Ref: PQ 5780

Blantyre House Prison

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, between what dates he plans for Blantyre House prison to be closed for refurbishment in 2015.

Andrew Selous: Blantyre House was taken out of use temporarily because of the number of empty places across the open prison estate. This provided the opportunity to redeploy staff and also to carry out basic refurbishment work at the site   There are still around 500 available places in open prisons and, as such, the position with Blantyre House remains the same; there is no operational or fiscal reason to reopen the site this summer. This position will be reviewed in the autumn.

Prison Service: Labour Turnover

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison officers (a) were recruited to and (b) left the Prison Service in each month since January 2014.

Andrew Selous: Information on the number of band 3 to 5 prison officers that were recruited to the Prison Service in each month since January 2014 is shown in the table below. The recruitment figures include existing National Offender Management Service staff of other grades who become officers during the period. Table: Prison Officer joiners and leavers to the Prison Service by month, January 2014 to March 2015  MonthJoiners (including internal candidates)Leavers2014Jan40300 Feb30110 Mar30140 Jun3090 May40100 Jun60120 Jul40110 Aug100110 Sep230140 Oct220120 Nov110140 Dec101202015Jan360120 Feb330100 Mar170110Total 18101910  All figures are rounded to the nearest 10, with numbers ending in 5 rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time, to ensure consistency of reporting. The database itself is dynamic however, and where updates to the database are made subsequent to the taking of the extract, these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate, and to present unrounded figures would be to overstate the accuracy of the figures. Rounding to 10 accurately depicts the level of certainty that is held with these figures.

Prisons: Safety

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prison community impact assessment reports have been submitted by each prison establishment since the introduction of the new joint national protocol between NOMS, the Crown Prosecution Service and the National Police Chiefs Council.

Andrew Selous: The joint national protocol on the appropriate handling of crimes in prison was published in February. I am committed to making the protocol work to ensure that serious crimes in prison are not ignored and are dealt with fully by the Criminal Justice System. The protocol provides that when a crime committed in prison is referred to the police, the prison is offered the opportunity to provide a Prison Community Impact Statement, the purpose of which is to provide relevant and useful information on behalf of the prison about the impact the offence has had on the establishment..Information about the number of Prison Community Impact Statements which have been submitted since publication of the protocol is not held centrally and could only be collected at disproportionate cost. Although this information cannot be provided at the present time senior officials from NOMS, the Crown Prosecution Service and the police are looking at monitoring progress on the implementation of the protocol and setting priorities for future work and monitoring arrangements will enable data of this type to be provided in due course.

MV Sunflower E

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what representations he has received on the situation of the passengers of the cargo ship Sunflower E during its detention in Newport.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The cargo ship Sunflower E was arrested by the Admiralty Marshal (an employee of Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service) pursuant to an arrest warrant issued in the Admiralty Court and is subject to ongoing court proceedings in the High Court. It has been under arrest since 10th March. I can confirm that the crew were repatriated on the 29 June by the International Transport Workers Federation. Whilst the crew were on board, the Admiralty Marshal ensured that they were provided with provision such as food, water and fuel throughout the period of detention of the vessel. The crew were free to leave the vessel at any point.The vessel will remain under arrest until the vessel is sold or released by the Claimants.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will respond to the recommendations made by the Eighth Report of the Justice Committee of Session 2014-15, HC311, on the impact of changes to civil legal aid under Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Shailesh Vara: The Ministry of Justice response to the Justice Committee’s report on the impact of changes to civil legal aid under Part 1 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 was laid and published as a command paper on 14 July.

Secure Colleges: Expenditure

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 9 July 2015 to Question 5710, what the cost to the public purse has been of his Department's spending on the Secure College programme to date.

Andrew Selous: Total spend on the Secure College pathfinder was £5.88m. This includes £1.56m resource (mainly expenditure on staff pay and procurement) and £4.32m capital (mainly design fees and site preparation costs). All services were procured through a competitive process and assessed as providing value for money to the department. The design work produced for the pathfinder could be used or adapted for alternative provision, and the prepared site at Glen Parva could be used for a range of developments.

Prisons: Locks and Keys

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of occasions when due to the loss or theft of keys, a prison has had to be relocked since May 2010; and what the cost to the public purse was of such incidents.

Andrew Selous: Security is paramount within prisons and it is important that the risk of any potential key compromise is addressed as quickly as possible in order to protect the public. When a key/lock incident is reported an immediate investigation is undertaken to assess the risk and unless it is clear that security has not been compromised, then locking mechanisms and keys will be replaced and/or other necessary remedial action will be taken. Since May 2010 there have been eight incidents that have necessitated partial or full relocking due to loss of keys, which resulted in costs of £514,584*. Between 2005 and May 2010 there were 16 relocks, which resulted in costs of £1,504,275. * Note: not included in this figure is a relock at Birmingham in October 2011 that was funded by G4S, the private contractor that operates the prison. The cost was £499,000. The figures quoted have been drawn from live administrative databases and may subsequently be amended. Due care is taken during processing and analysis, but the detail is subject to inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

Elections: Tower Hamlets

Sir Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what performance grade the Electoral Commission gave to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets on (a) electoral integrity and (b) electoral registration on each occasion since the Electoral Commission began its performance management regime; and whether the Commission judged that that Borough had exceeded the required standards in those categories on those occasions.

Mr Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission’s performance standards framework is for Returning Officers (RO) and Electoral Registration Officers (ERO), not local authorities. There are separate standards for each role and each has elements relating to the RO and ERO’s responsibilities for supporting electoral integrity.Between 2008 and 2013, the ERO for Tower Hamlets was assessed as ‘meeting’ or ‘above’ all the ERO standards (including the integrity standards) each year. From 2014, the Commission’s standards for EROs changed to reflect the transition to Individual Electoral Registration. The ERO was assessed as meeting the first standard (which related to public engagement activities) in 2014. The Commission will report on the second standard (implementation of their plans) following the canvass taking place in late 2015.Between 2009 and 2013, in the years in which elections were held, the RO for Tower Hamlets assessed their performance as meeting or above the standard. In 2014, a new performance standards framework for ROs removed self-assessment. The Commission was unable to confirm a performance standards assessment for Tower Hamlets following the May 2014 elections due to a petition that concluded in April 2015 but will be making its performance assessment shortly.Performance standards are not the only measure of addressing integrity issues and the Commission expects more from EROs and ROs in areas where there is a history of electoral fraud allegations.In March 2013 the Commission undertook a review of complaints and allegations made at elections in Tower Hamlets in 2012, and made recommendations to all those involved in upholding the integrity of elections in the borough in order to rebuild confidence and trust. The Commission published further updates on progress in Tower Hamlets in July 2013 and April 2014.Tower Hamlets was identified by the Commission, prior to the May 2014 elections, as one of 16 areas nationally which were at higher risk of allegations of electoral fraud. In the months leading up to the May 2014 elections, the Commission closely monitored progress towards implementing those recommendations, meeting the RO for Tower Hamlets and the Metropolitan Police regularly to review their plans, and attending briefing meetings for prospective candidates. This work continued ahead of the May 2015 polls.

Elections: Tower Hamlets

Sir Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Answer of 27 February 2012, Official Report, column 28W, on electoral register: Tower Hamlets, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Electoral Commission's steps to tackle electoral fraud in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets since concerns were raised in Parliament in 2012.

Mr Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission works closely with the police and returning officers in areas where there have been allegations of electoral fraud, and it has paid particular attention to Tower Hamlets since 2012. The Commission tells me it has focussed on election planning and electoral registration activities in Tower Hamlets, and has attended regular election planning meetings with the Returning Officer and the Metropolitan Police Service since 2013 to scrutinise and monitor the delivery of those activities in advance of the European Parliament and local government elections in 2014 and the UK Parliamentary elections in 2015. The Commission has also published several detailed reports on electoral fraud and electoral administration in Tower Hamlets, including a report following allegations of electoral fraud at elections in May 2102 and following problems at the count for the May 2014 elections. These reports have included specific recommendations for the Returning Officer, the Metropolitan Police Service, political parties and candidates at future elections, and the Commission has continued to monitor progress towards those recommendations and provide additional support where it is required.

Elections: Fraud

Sir Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's Corporate Plan 2015-16 to 2019-20, HC106, published in June 2015, what the evidential basis is for the assertion in that Plan that electoral fraud is not widespread.

Mr Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission’s Corporate Plan 2015-16 to 2019-20 states that “Although there is no evidence that electoral fraud is widespread in the United Kingdom, and the number of cases of alleged electoral fraud reported to the police is relatively low compared with the number of contests and the number of people who vote in elections each year, there is a consistent level of public concern about electoral fraud.” The evidence underpinning the approach taken by the Commission in its corporate plan was set out in the final report of its 18-month review of electoral fraud vulnerabilities, which involved research with the public and wide consultation, including with elected representatives, political parties, electoral professionals, the police and prosecuting authorities, academics, voluntary organisations, think tanks and the UK Government. It was also based on data about allegations of electoral fraud reported to police forces across the UK that has been collated and published by the Commission since 2008. Both reports are available on the Commission’s website and were sent to all honourable members.

Elections: Tower Hamlets

Sir Eric Pickles: To ask the hon. Member for South West Devon, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, with reference to the Electoral Commission's Corporate Plan 2015-16 to 2019-20, HC106, published in June 2015, if his Committee will make an assessment of the criticism of the Electoral Commission made by Commissioner Richard Mawrey QC in his election court judgment of Erlam & Ors v Rahman & Anor [2015] EWHC 1215 (QB) in relation to the registration and finances of Tower Hamlets First.

Mr Gary Streeter: The Electoral Commission informs me that it is satisfied that the documentation submitted to it in 2013 by ‘Tower Hamlets First’ met the statutory threshold requirements for registration of a political party. The Election Court judgement does not find otherwise. The barriers to registering as a political party are limited with the law requiring only certain specific criteria to be met before the Commission must add parties to the register. Following the findings of the Court in April this year, the Commission promptly reviewed and removed the party's registration. In light of the comments made by Commissioner Richard Mawrey QC, the Commission has also indicated that it has reviewed its guidance and advice to applicants from new parties on a proposed party’s ‘Financial Scheme’ to further emphasise the responsibility of a registered party to have processes in place to meet their legal obligations. When the Committee considers the Electoral Commission’s Five Year Plain, it may consider whether any further steps are necessary.

Ministry of Defence

Nuclear Weapons: USA

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the safety of US government procedures for transporting and maintaining nuclear missiles in considering whether to permit such missiles to be based in the UK.

Penny Mordaunt: I have made no such assessment.

Iraq: Armed Conflict

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has assessed the comparative effectiveness of using GBU-12 bombs and Hellfire missiles from UK Reapers in Iraq.

Penny Mordaunt: All RAF air-to-surface weapon types used in operations are continually assessed for their performance and effectiveness. Weapon selection is informed by a combination of the nature of the target, the effect desired and the broader environment in which the target sits.

Ministry of Defence: Ministerial Policy Advisers

Stuart Blair Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the name, responsibilities and pay band are of each special adviser in his Department.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Matthew Hancock) on 13 July 2015 to Question 5983. 



Ministerial Policy Advisers
(Word Document, 26.5 KB)

War Widows: Pensions

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what representations his Department has received from the War Widows' Association of Britain on war widows' pensions.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to ensure that war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005 have their war widows' pension reinstated.

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of women in receipt of the war widows' pension who remarried between 1973 and 2005.

Mark Lancaster: It has been the policy of successive Governments that changes or improvements to all public service pension schemes should not be applied retrospectively. Therefore there are no plans to reinstate war widows' pensions for war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005. However from 1 April 2015 those who have already surrendered their pension due to remarriage or cohabitation can apply to have their pension restored for life should that relationship end. The Department regularly receives representation from the War Widows Association as they are members of the Central Advisory Committee and the retention of war widows' pensions on remarriage or cohabitation is one of the issues we have engaged on in recent years. The change, as announced by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 8 November 2014, which allowed widows, widowers and surviving civil partners of all members of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme and the War Pensions Scheme to retain their pensions for life came into effect from 1 April 2015. This harmonised the pension rules for Armed Forces widows with effect from the introduction of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme 2015. War Pension Scheme records that are readily available for the period from 2005 to March 2015 show the number of war widows/ers who surrendered their War Pensions due to remarriage or cohabitation as 145. Under Armed Forces Pension 1975 readily available information ranges between 1983 to 2015 and shows pensions surrendered by Widows/ers due to remarriage or cohabitation as 1,863.

Department for Work and Pensions

Social Security Benefits: Disqualification

Deidre  Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 June 2015 to Question 3238, if he will make it his policy to collect statistics on the amount of benefits withheld as a result of benefit sanctions.

Priti Patel: The Department doesn’t make an estimate of the amount of benefit withheld as a result of benefit sanctions.

Personal Independence Payment

Louise Haigh: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the average time taken between claim and first payment of a personal independence payment for claimants in receipt of disability living allowance to date.

Justin Tomlinson: Data on PIP average clearance times for both personal independence payment (PIP) new claims and disability living allowance (DLA) reassessment claims is in the data table 5A and 5B published alongside the latest PIP statistical release https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/personal-independence-payment-april-2013-to-april-2015  Data on the average time between the claim decision and first payment is not readily available and could only be obtained at a disproportionate cost. Existing claimants of DLA claiming PIP can continue to receive their DLA throughout their claim to PIP, so long as they comply with all the processes. Additionally, all claimants are paid DLA for a further 28 days following the weekly payday immediately after the decision on their PIP claim is made. Successful claimants to PIP see no break in payment when they move from DLA to PIP, subject to other rules being satisfied, for example those relating to residency in a care home or hospital.

Access to Work Programme: Scotland

Ian Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for Access to Work were (a) made and (b) granted in Scotland in each of the last three years.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not available. The table below shows the number of new starts on Access to Work in Scotland in each of the last three financial years[1]. Financial yearNumber of new starts2012-137802013-149502014-15860[1] Estimates were obtained from the Access to Work database (DiSC3) and are rounded to the nearest 10.

Employment and Support Allowance

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time for an Employment and Support Allowance assessment has been in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) the North West and (c) the UK since the instigation of those assessments.

Priti Patel: Official statistics for Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) processing times are not readily available and to provide the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.

National Insurance Contributions

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what arrangements exist to support those who have fallen behind with national insurance contributions in fully accessing contributory benefits.

Justin Tomlinson: National Insurance credits are generally available to people who are unable to work and pay contributions for example if they are unemployed, incapable of work or caring for others.   National Insurance credits are awarded automatically with qualifying social security benefits; otherwise applications are required to determine eligibility.   The Government is introducing a new credit for those who reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016. It will be available to the spouses and civil partners of members of HM Forces for past periods spent accompanying their Service partner on postings outside the UK.   Those not eligible for National Insurance credits may be able to fill gaps in their record to protect certain benefits by paying voluntary contributions. These are subject to time limits; and higher rate provisions when paid late.   For those who would like further information on their National Insurance record they should go to the GOV.UK website https://www.gov.uk/voluntary-national-insurance-contributions

Employment Schemes: Hearing Impairment

Ben Howlett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department provides to people with hearing difficulties in finding work.

Justin Tomlinson: People with hearing difficulties can benefit from the same support to find work as other disabled people through provision such as the Work Programme and Work Choice. In addition we are launching a new programme, Specialist Employability Support (SES), in September. It focuses on helping those for whom other provision such as Work Choice or Work Programme is not suitable and one of the programme providers will support people with hearing difficulties in preparing for work. SES replaces the Residential Training contracts and is expected to double the number of people supported at the same cost.

Employment and Support Allowance

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential effects of conditionality on employment and support allowance claimants with mental health problems.

Priti Patel: The Department conducts an Equality Analysis before introducing changes, all proposals are assessed in line with the current public sector equality duties. It will show the Department has demonstrated that due regard has been paid when developing these services on the grounds of protected characteristics. This includes disabled people.

Food Banks: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will discuss levels of food bank use in Scotland with the Secretary of State for Scotland in order to assess the potential relationship between reductions in welfare provision and food bank usage.

Priti Patel: The Secretary of State regularly meets with Ministerial colleagues to discuss a range of issues.

Employment and Support Allowance

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of delays in employment and support allowance assessments on people who lose their income based benefit waiting for that assessment.

Priti Patel: Employment and Support Allowance claimants are usually paid the assessment rate of the benefit while waiting for their assessment. Where appropriate, arrears of Employment and Support allowance will be automatically backdated.

Social Security Benefits

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2015 to Question 4601, if he will take steps to collect information on how many households, which include a claimant who is classed as disabled under the Equality Act 2010, have been affected by the benefit cap since April 2013.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2015 to Question 4599, if he will take steps to collect information on (a) how many and (b) what proportion of households living in (i) local authority, (ii) housing association and (iii) privately rented housing, which have been affected by the benefit cap, have been evicted from their homes since April 2013.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2015 to Question 4618, if he will take steps to collect information on (a) the availability and (b) the cost of childcare to households subject to the benefit cap which consist of a single parent with dependant children.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2015 to Question 4602, if he will take steps to collect statistics on the number of households which include a claimant from an ethnic minority background which have been affected by the benefit cap since April 2013.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2015 to Question 4590, if he will take steps to collect the statistics requested in that Question.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2015 to Question 4591, if he will take steps to collect the statistics requested in that Question.

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 July 2015 to Question 4593, if he will take steps to collect the statistics requested in that Question.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has no plans to collect this information.

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with multiple sclerosis have had their personal independence payment award reviewed before the end of the award; and how many such people have had more than one review of their award.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Social Security Benefits: Ogmore

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Ogmore constituency receive between £20,000 and £26,000 in benefit payments each year.

Justin Tomlinson: The information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans that people aged 18 to 21 who are (a) homeless or (b) at risk of homelessness will be eligible for housing benefit after the implementation of changes announced in the Summer Budget 2015.

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of changes to the eligibility for housing benefit of people aged 18 to 21 announced in the Summer Budget 2015 on the level of homelessness.

Justin Tomlinson: To prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 the Government will remove the automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This will ensure young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home. We will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process.

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of people with multiple sclerosis who have claimed personal independence payment to date; and what proportion of those people have had (a) a repeat assessment and (b) more than three assessments.

Justin Tomlinson: There are currently 5,520 recipients of personal independence payment whose main disabling condition is recorded as being multiple sclerosis. The information requested on repeat assessments could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of people with multiple sclerosis who have claimed personal independence payment to date and have received an award of (a) up to six months, (b) between six and 12 months, (c) between one and two years, (d) between two and five years, (e) more than five years and (f) more than 10 years.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department is assessing the quality of the PIP award length data and is considering the future release of such information into the public domain. These statistics will be published when they are ready, with the release pre-announced in line with United Kingdom Statistics Authority release protocols.

Personal Independence Payment: Multiple Sclerosis

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of people with multiple sclerosis who have moved from disability living allowance to personal independence payment; and what proportion of those people have received a reduced mobility award as a result of that change.

Justin Tomlinson: The latest available data on personal independence payment (PIP) claims in payment, registrations, clearances and awards for both new claims and reassessed claims (for those previously in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) are published on Gov.UK:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/personal-independence-payment-statistics.In particular, breakdowns of reassessed claims in payment by type, main disabling conditions and rate of awards can be found at https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/The Department does not have verified data on the proportion of PIP claimants with multiple sclerosis who received a reduced mobility award as a result of the move to PIP. We intend to provide more detailed breakdowns of DLA to PIP reassessment outcomes in due course. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Food: Exports

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent disruption at Calais and closures of the Channel Tunnel on seafood exports.

Calum Kerr: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support seafood exporters with costs incurred as a result of recent disruption at Calais.

George Eustice: Defra works closely with representatives from across the food sector industries and Devolved Administrations on supply chain resilience issues. We have been in regular contact with regard to the ongoing situation in Calais to ensure that concerns are reflected in response planning.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether applications for the 2016 Basic Payment Scheme will be made online or by paper.

George Eustice: We will consider carefully a range of options for the 2016 Basic Payment Scheme using our experience of the implementation of the new approach for 2015.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Basic Payment Scheme applications made (a) before and (b) after 15 June 2015 will result in payments being received in December 2015.

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for the Basic Payment Scheme were received (a) before and (b) after the 15 June 2015 deadline.

George Eustice: Subject to ongoing reconciliation work, as of the 8th July, we received (a) 87,267 BPS Applications prior to the 15th June, and (b) 858 after the 15th June.   All claims will need to be validated and verified over the next few months and the Rural Payments Agency has said it will be making full payments as early as possible in the payment window, which runs from December 2015 to June 2016.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications to the Basic Payment Scheme have been approved to date.

George Eustice: As of the 8th July we have received 88,125 Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) applications. These will need to be validated and verified over the next few months.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many requests for assistance with applications to the Basic Payment Scheme are outstanding.

George Eustice: There are no outstanding requests for assistance with applications. During the application window the Rural Payments Agency offered an unprecedented level of support to farmers and landowners to ensure that they were able to submit their applications.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on resolving issues with the online application process for the Basic Payment Scheme.

George Eustice: The core of the Rural Payments system is working well and we will use lessons learned from the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme to inform our preparations for 2016.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) full-time staff, (b) part-time staff, (c) agency staff and (d) apprentices the Rural Payments Agency employs to process Basic Payment Scheme applications.

George Eustice: The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) uses a flexible resourcing approach, moving people onto different activities according to business need. Whilst the number of people deployed to processing Basic Payment Scheme applications will change depending on the activities being carried out, current numbers (as at 10 July) are as follows: (a) approximately 200 full time RPA employees (b) approximately 100 part time RPA employees (c) approximately 20 agency temps, and (d) approximately 50 apprentices from the cross-government Operational Delivery Profession.

Burbots

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to reintroduce the burbot into UK waters.

George Eustice: Any burbot re-introduction to inland waters in England would be dependent on further research and an assessment of the associated risks and opportunities. Factors resulting in the loss of the burbot from UK waters in the first place would also need considering in order to determine whether they remain relevant, and whether current habitats In England are suitable for the species.

Organic Food: Milk

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will discuss with representatives of the dairy industry increasing the supply of organic milk to food (a) wholesalers and (b) retailers.

George Eustice: I visited an organic dairy farm in 2014 and discussed the potential for organic milk production and exports with representatives of the OMSCO organic milk co-operative.   The Government supports organic milk farmers through conversion and maintenance payments made under the CAP for organic land. Officials have also investigated the potential for exports of organic dairy products. However the supply of milk to wholesalers and retailers is a commercial matter for industry.

Plants: Imports

Dr   Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to prevent plant and tree diseases being imported into the UK (a) through garden centres and (b) by other routes.

George Eustice: Upholding plant biosecurity is a key priority for Defra and we have taken a number of measures to reduce the risk of introduction of pests and diseases. Last year, we published a Plant Biosecurity Strategy, which addressed the recommendations of the Tree Health and Plant Expert Biosecurity Taskforce which included strengthening biosecurity to reduce risks at the border. We have also introduced a UK Plant Health Risk Register, an important tool to screen new threats and identify priority actions.   In recognition of the increased risks including from trade globalisation, we have played an active role in the negotiation of a new EU plant health regime, to provide strengthened import checks targeted at the highest risk material and tightened internal controls to minimize risks from material moving within the EU.

Home Office

Immigration: Commonwealth Games 2014

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2015 to Question 3491 on Immigration: Commonwealth Games 2014, what the countries of origin were of people (a) whose departures were unconfirmed, (b) who applied for asylum or another form of leave and (c) who were granted asylum or another form of leave; and what the reasons for the applications for asylum or other form of leave to remain were in each such case.

James Brokenshire: The breakdown by nationality of unconfirmed departures is as follows:Ghana10Cameroon9Sierra Leone5Uganda5Bangladesh3India2Guyana1Jamaica1Kenya1Nigeria1Rwanda1Whilst we have been unable to confirm the departure of 39 individuals from the UK following the Commonwealth Games 2014, this does not necessarily mean that those individuals are still in the country.Her Majesty’s Government takes its commitments to its international obligations very seriously and asylum cases require special care. These obligations cannot permit the disclosure of information that could in turn make these individuals identifiable.

Illegal Immigrants: France

Robert Flello: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many commercial drivers (a) have been and (b) are in the process of being fined for bringing people illegally into the UK via North East France in (i) the last month, (ii) between the last one and six months and (iii) between the last six and 12 months.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 07 July 2015



Border Force issued penalties for those attempting to enter the UK as follows:i) Last Month (May 2015) – 268 penalties issuedii) Between the one and six months (November 2014 – April 2015) – 1,407 penalties issuediii) Between last six and twelve months (October – May 2014) – 1,891 penalties issuedFigures are not yet available for June 2015.

Visas: Ireland

Mr Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effect of the British-Irish Visa scheme on tourism.

James Brokenshire: Holding answer received on 09 July 2015



The number of visitor visas issued to Chinese and Indian nationals has continued to increase year on year since 2012. This upward trend would appear to support the positive effect of the British-Irish Visa Scheme for visitor visas, as such visa holders are entitled to visit both the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Passports

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many passports were issued in each part of the UK in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Her Majesty’s Passport Office does not hold this information at constituency level or for individual countries within the United Kingdom and the cost of extracting this data would be disproportionate.

Passports: British Nationals Abroad

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK passports were issued to people resident outside the UK in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Her Majesty’s Passport Office took over issuing passports to British citizens overseas on a phased basis between October 2012 and April 2014. As a result data relating to the period before April 2014 could only be provided at disproportionate cost.The number of passports issued for British citizens applying from overseas since April 2014 is set out in the table below.Passports – Overseas ApplicationsYear Total passports passed for issue2014 (April – December) 302,4452015 (January- June) 237,107

Immigration Controls: Scotland

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions were held with the Scottish Government on the minimum income threshold requirement for family visas prior to its implementation about its potential impact (a) on affected families living in Scotland, (b) to the Scottish economy and (c) on communities across Scotland.

James Brokenshire: A three-month public consultation on family migration, including the proposal for a minimum income threshold for those sponsoring family migrants, was undertaken across the UK from 13 July to 6 October 2011. The Scottish Government and local authorities and non-governmental organisations in Scotland were consulted as part of this process. The Scottish Government and local authorities were also consulted by the independent Migration Advisory Committee in preparing its November 2011 report on the level at which a minimum income threshold should be set to prevent family migrants becoming a burden on the taxpayer. The responses to the public consultation and the Migration Advisory Committee’s report were carefully considered in setting the minimum income threshold requirement for family visas implemented on 9 July 2012.

Immigration Controls

Margaret Ferrier: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Oral Answer to the hon. Member for South Antrim of 6 July 2015, Official Report, column 22, whether her Department plans to vary the minimum income threshold requirements for family visas to take account of different costs of living in different parts of the UK.

James Brokenshire: The minimum income threshold of £18,600 for sponsoring a non-European Economic Area national partner to come or remain here applies across the UK under the family Immigration Rules implemented on 9 July 2012. The level of the income threshold, which aims to prevent burdens on the taxpayer and promote integration, was set following advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee and reflects the income at which a family settled here generally cannot access income-related benefits. The Committee, in its November 2011 report, could see no clear case for differentiation of the income threshold between UK countries and regions and noted several arguments against such an approach. These included that a family living in a wealthy part of a relatively poor UK country or region could be subject to a lower income requirement than a family living in a deprived part of a relatively wealthy one. The government agrees with that assessment and a single minimum income threshold across the UK has been found to be lawful by the courts.

Passports: British Nationals Abroad

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) number and (b) proportion of applications for a passport for a child overseas take longer than (a) three, (b) four and (c) six months to be processed.

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the average time is for processing a passport application for a child overseas from the initial application to the interview in connection with that application.

James Brokenshire: A total of 49,173 international child passport applications finished processing in January-June 2015. Of this total, 2,418 (4.9%) took longer than three months to be processed, 1,780 (3.6%) took longer than four months to be processed, and 944 (1.9%) took longer than six months to be processed.The processing time is the length of time from receipt of the application to the passport being printed. For international child passport applications processed in the same period, the average processing time was 19.4 working days. Information is not held on the time between receipt of application and interview date as the date of interview can be subject to customer availability.Her Majesty’s Passport Office must be fully satisfied that all appropriate checks have been completed successfully prior to the issuance of passport facilities. This is particularly important in relation to child applications as part of Her Majesty’s Passport Office responsibility to protect potentially vulnerable children, including those potentially at risk of child trafficking and to maintain the integrity of the British Passport.These checks can require the provision of information from other agencies overseas – particularly in complex applications such as surrogacy cases.Delays in the provision of this information to HMPO can lead to significantly extended timeframe in processing applications.

Passports: British Nationals Abroad

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will review the application processing timescale published by HM Passport Office for passport applications for children who are overseas.

James Brokenshire: The expected turnaround times for all applications are subject to ongoing review and every effort is made to ensure that cases, particularly involving children overseas, are dealt with as quickly as possible. We will shortly be publishing updated expected turnaround times on www.gov.uk for all application types covering 133 countries.

HM Passport Office: Performance Standards

Tommy Sheppard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what representations she has received on (a) poor and (b) slow service at HM Passport Office in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: Numerous representations have been made both about the general passport issuing process as well as on behalf of individual applicants. They have been received from Members of Parliament and the public. Those with concerns about imminent travel plans for applicants are given priority.

Asylum: Finance

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will establish an independent review of the effectiveness of benefits and allowances available to refugees and asylum seekers in advance of changes being made to those measures.

James Brokenshire: Asylum seekers who are destitute are provided with accommodation and a cash allowance to cover their essential living needs. The level of the allowance is kept under regular review. If they are recognised as refugees they are able to claim mainstream benefits in the normal way.The Government currently has no plans to establish an independent review of these arrangements.

Slavery

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress she has made on establishing a central website on which businesses lodge slavery and trafficking statements.

Karen Bradley: Responses to the transparency in supply chains consultation, which ended on 7 May 2015, include suggestions on establishing a central repository for slavery and human trafficking statements. We are considering these suggestions to ascertain how such a repository could increase transparency for investors, consumers and the general public.

Slavery

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when she will publish guidance to businesses on what to include within slavery and trafficking statements.

Karen Bradley: The transparency in supply chains consultation, which ended on 7 May 2015, asked respondents a number of questions about the content of the statutory guidance. We are considering those responses and will publish a Government response shortly.Statutory guidance on the transparency in supply chains measure will be published to coincide with the commencement of the transparency provisions in the Modern Slavery Act 2015. We will develop the guidance in consultation with businesses and trade bodies to ensure that it meets their needs.

Asylum: Finance

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make it her policy to commission an independent review of support rates paid to asylum applicants under section 95 of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 before making changes to that level of support.

James Brokenshire: Asylum seekers who are destitute are provided with accommodation and a cash allowance to cover their essential living needs. The level of the allowance is kept under regular review. If they are recognised as refugees they are able to claim mainstream benefits in the normal way.The Government currently has no plans to establish an independent review of these arrangements.

National Crime Agency: Finance

Byron Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the budget for the International Corruption Unit at the National Crime Agency was in each year of that Unit's operation to date; and what that budget will be in each of the next three years.

Mike Penning: The International Corruption Unit became operational on 29 June 2015. It is part of the Economic Crime Command and draws on the full range of capabilities within the National Crime Agency (NCA). Therefore it is not possible to provide a specific figure for the budget of the International Corruption Unit.The NCA’s annual budget for 2015/16, as published in the NCA’s Annual Plan, is a resource Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) of £408 million and a capital DEL of £40 million.

Immigrants: Detainees

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will accept the recommendation in the Report of the Inquiry into the Use of Immigration Detention in the United Kingdom by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees and on Immigration, published 3 March 2015, that the period for which immigrants can be detained should be lowered to 28 days.

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Report of the Inquiry into the Use of Immigration Detention in the United Kingdom by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees and on Immigration, published 3 March 2015, what alternatives to detention are under consideration by her Department.

James Brokenshire: Detention is an important part of a firm and fair immigration system. Those who do not have a right to be in the UK should leave voluntarily, where they do not, we will seek to enforce their removal. It is not possible to detain indefinitely under immigration powers. Published statistics show the majority of people detained under immigration powers (63%) leave detention within 28 days, with the vast majority (93%) leaving detention within 4 months in 2014.For detention to be lawful there must be a realistic prospect of removal in a reasonable timeframe. What amounts to a reasonable prospect of removal in a reasonable timeframe is a highly case specific consideration. An arbitrary fixed time limit may lead to the release of foreign national offenders even when deportation is imminent. Home Office published policy states that immigration detention must only be used as a last resort and that, wherever possible, alternatives to detention must be used. In practice, the majority of individuals liable to be detained at any one time are not detained but are managed in the community through the alternatives of temporary admission or bail, including the use of appropriate reporting and residence conditions or electronic monitoring.

Scotland Office

Abortion: Scotland

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what his policy is on retaining abortion law as a reserved matter for the UK Parliament.

David Mundell: The Smith Commission Agreement stated that the parties are strongly of the view to recommend the devolution of abortion and regard it as an anomalous health reservation. They agree that further serious consideration should be given to its devolution and a process should be established immediately to consider the matter further.In keeping with the Government’s commitment to implement the Smith Commission Agreement in full, the UK and Scottish Governments have established a process to consider this matter further. It is right that this process is able to take place and that this issue is given full and careful consideration.

High Speed 2 Railway Line: Scotland

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on possible future extension of High Speed Rail to Scotland.

David Mundell: As Secretary of State for Scotland I meet regularly with my counterpart in the Department for Transport to discuss a range of issues.I refer you to the answers I gave the hon. Member for Glasgow South of 30 June 2015 and 6 July 2015.

Renewable Energy: Scotland

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change on support for Scotland's renewable energy sector.

David Mundell: I have regular discussions with colleagues on issues affecting the energy sector, including on our manifesto commitment to end new subsidies for onshore wind.

English Votes for English Laws

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what discussions he has had with the Leader of the House on the effect of the Government's proposed changes to voting procedures in the House on the representation of constituencies in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

David Mundell: I have had discussions with the Leader of the House on this matter and look forward to this afternoon’s debate.

Income Tax: Scotland

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what recent discussions he has had with Ministers of the Scottish Government on progress on implementing the Scottish rate of income tax.

David Mundell: The UK and Scottish Governments continue to work closely with one another on the implementation of the Scottish Rate of Income Tax. The question now is how the Scottish Government will use the new power, when it comes into effect in April 2016.

UK Membership of EU: Scotland

Neil Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what assessment he has made of the value to Scotland of the UK remaining in the EU.

David Mundell: We believe the United Kingdom’s interests will best be served by membership of a reformed European Union. That is why we will negotiate a new settlement for Britain in Europe, and then ask the British people to decide the question in a referendum.

HM Treasury

Treasury: Press

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, which periodicals and newspapers his Department subscribes to; what quantity of each such periodical is so obtained; and what the cost of such subscriptions was in 2014.

Harriett Baldwin: The department’s spend on newspapers and periodicals for the calendar year 2014 (Jan-Dec) was £49,886.69. This compares to £189,650 in 2009/10.   Detailed information on the periodicals and newspapers to which the department subscribes is not held centrally.

Information Commissioner

Cat Smith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to page 57 of the Information Commission's office's annual report 2014-15, under what statutory provision the Treasury imposes a financial penalty on that office; how the amount of that penalty was arrived at; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Hands: HM Treasury does not require statutory provision to impose a financial penalty on a department. Rather, it is within the Treasury’s remit to set policy relating to public funds, for example the Civil Service Pay Guidance, a breach of which provides the authority to impose appropriate administrative sanctions at its discretion.   A financial penalty was imposed on the Information Commissioner’s Office of £18,400 for a breach of the Civil Service Pay Guidance relating to the salary increases of two Executive Team members. A statement was made publically in the Information Commissioner’s 2014/15 annual report.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Mike Weir: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the average call response time to calls made to the (a) tax credit helpline and (b) general HM Revenue and Customs helpline for hon. Members was in each of the last 12 months.

Mike Weir: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff have been employed to work on the (a) tax credit helpline and (b) general HM Revenue and Customs helpline for hon. Members in each of the last 12 months.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) regularly publishes general performance reports, including those for its Tax Credit Helpline, on GOV.UK.   HMRC does not record call waiting times on the HMRC helpline for Members of Parliament.   HMRC does not have the numbers of staff employed to work on the tax credit helpline in the form requested, and it could only be collected at disproportionate cost.   An average of 10-12 staff were employed on the HMRC helpline for Members of Parliament in each of the last 12 months.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Vehicle Excise Duty proposals in the Summer Budget 2015 on the second hand market for (a) zero and (b) low emission vehicles.

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effect of proposals in the Summer Budget 2015 to reform Vehicle Excise Duty on demand for purchase of hybrid and plug-in vehicles (a) before and (b) after 2017.

Richard Burden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans for the Vehicle Excise Duty premium rate proposed in the Summer Budget 2015 to apply to (a) zero and (b) low emission vehicles.

Damian Hinds: The updated CO2 banding in first year rates in the new VED system strengthens the incentive to purchase the cleanest cars including hybrid and plug-in vehicles. Hybrid and plug-in vehicles will also continue to be supported by beneficial rates of Company Car Tax.   The premium car supplement will apply to all cars with a list price above £40,000, including zero and low emission vehicles. The supplement applies for the first five years in which the standard rate is paid. Zero-emission cars with a list price below £40,000 will pay no VED for the lifetime of the car.   The new VED system is not expected to have significant effects on the second-hand car market for zero- or low-emission cars. The reformed VED system will apply to cars first registered from 1 April 2017, so cars in the new system are unlikely to enter the second-hand car market in large numbers until the 2020’s.

Welfare Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of likely savings to the public purse in each of the next five years as a result of changed to tax credits as announced in the Summer Budget 2015; and if he will estimate what those savings would be if those changes were applied only to new tax credit claimants.

Mr David Gauke: The estimated savings from the changes to tax credits announced at the Summer Budget can be found in Table 2.1 of the main document.   The removal of the family element of tax credits will apply to new tax credit claims from April-17. The limiting of the child element to two children will apply to new births from April-17. We do not hold an estimate of the savings generated if the changes to tax credits announced at the Summer Budget applied only to new claimants.

Welfare Tax Credits

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, on what date he plans for changes to tax credit entitlements announced in the Summer Budget 2015 to take effect.

Damian Hinds: The requested information can be obtained from pages 87-88 of the Summer Budget 2015 document (HC 264).

Welfare Tax Credits

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will make it his policy to introduce an online calculator or helpline for people in receipt of tax credits to calculate how their entitlement will change under the new system announced in the Summer Budget 2015.

Mr David Gauke: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) provide an online tax credits calculator that people can use to assess their own eligibility. This will be updated when the new rates take effect. The calculator can be found at: http://taxcredits.hmrc.gov.uk/Qualify/DIQHousehold.aspx  GOV.UK provides the public with comprehensive guidance about tax credits: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tax-credits-leaflets-forms-and-manuals

Personal Income

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the number of people who will experience a net loss in income as a result of the changes to in-work benefits and the minimum wage announced in the Summer Budget 2015.

Mr David Gauke: As a result of the introduction of the National Living Wage, 2.75m workers are expected to benefit directly, and up to 6m could see their pay rise as a result of a ripple effect up the earnings distribution.   Getting the public finances under control will mean that some families receive less in benefits, but overall, 8 out of 10 working households will be better off in 2017-18 as a result of the Summer Budget increase to the income tax personal allowance, welfare changes, and introduction of the National Living Wage. This translates to 12.5 million working households better off.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will postpone any sales of shares in RBS by UK Financial Investments until all interest rate cases with sophisticated customers have been resolved or subject to an independent inquiry.

Harriett Baldwin: As the Chancellor and the Governor of the Bank of England have said, it is in taxpayers’ interests for the government to begin now to return RBS to private ownership. The Governor has also said, there could be considerable net costs to taxpayers of further delaying the start of a sale. The government is clear that the mis-selling of financial products is wrong and those businesses affected should be appropriately compensated through the Financial Conduct Authority’s redress scheme.

Royal Bank of Scotland

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is towards any director of UK Financial Investments who had not disclosed a conflict of interest in relation to RBS customers.

Harriett Baldwin: UK Financial Investment (UKFI) adheres to the Code of Practice as set out by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, which specifically addresses the issue of actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest.   In addition, UKFI is subject to the Companies Act 2006, which sets out in detail the legal obligations whereby companies have a legal duty to avoid conflicts of interest

Royal Bank of Scotland

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he takes to ensure that no conflicts of interest arise between directors of UK Financial Investments and customers of RBS.

Harriett Baldwin: UK Financial Investment (UKFI) adheres to the Code of Practice as set out by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments, which specifically addresses the issue of actual, potential or perceived conflicts of interest.   In addition, UKFI is subject to the Companies Act 2006, which sets out in detail the legal obligations whereby companies have a legal duty to avoid conflicts of interest

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Energy: Prices

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, what steps she plans to take to reduce energy costs for households supplied by the Big Six energy companies.

Andrea Leadsom: There are now 23 independent suppliers for households to choose from in additional to the six largest suppliers, giving more choice than ever before. By switching from a standard tariff to the best fixed deal on the market, many people can save around £200 and some could save more. We have already made it simpler and quicker to switch supplier and are working towards next day switching.

Energy: Scotland

Ian Blackford: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, if she will take steps to merge the 14 regional markets for energy distribution to create a national energy market for electricity distribution and reduce the price paid by consumers and businesses in the Highlands and Islands.

Andrea Leadsom: Electricity distribution network charges vary by region and reflect the costs of running the network in that area and the number of consumers that those costs are spread over. Moving away from this ‘cost-reflective’ approach would weaken the local accountability of the network operator in ensuring expenditure is fully justified, in turn weakening downward pressures on network costs overall. In addition, a national price for electricity distribution would mean lower network charges in some areas, but increases in others. There are fuel poor consumers throughout GB, including in the areas that could be expected to see higher bills as a result of such a change.Any decision on whether to pursue this further could therefore only sensibly be considered on the basis of robust and evidence-based analysis. Ofgem is currently working to inform the issue, and the Government will consider its analysis carefully. It will also be important to take full account of the final conclusions of the energy market investigation which is currently being undertaken by the Competition and Markets Authority. Its provisional findings favour more locational transmission pricing.To help protect domestic and business consumers in the North of Scotland specifically, Government has already introduced the Hydro Benefit Replacement Scheme. It provides an annual assistance amount of over £50m to consumers in the North of Scotland. The cost of providing this discount is recovered from consumers across the whole of Great Britain.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Press

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, which periodicals and newspapers his Department subscribes to; what quantity of each such periodical is so obtained; and what the cost of such subscriptions was in 2014.

Matthew Hancock: The information could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Phil Boswell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government has allocated for spending on special advisers in 2015-16; and the location in which each such adviser works.

Matthew Hancock: The Government publishes an annual statement to Parliament setting out the numbers, names and paybands of special advisers, the appointing Minister and the overall paybill.The 2015 list, reflecting appointments made after the election, will be published in due course.

Cabinet Office: Pay

Owen Thompson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what bonuses were paid to (a) senior civil servants and (b) special advisers in his Department in each of the last three financial years; and for what reasons those bonuses were paid.

Matthew Hancock: Information on non-consolidated awards paid to officials in my Department for performance during the years 2012-2014 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/payroll-costs-and-non-consolidated-pay-data

Pay: Ogmore

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in Ogmore constituency earn between £3,850 and £6,420 annually.

Mr Rob Wilson: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. 



UKSA Letter to Member - Earnings
(PDF Document, 75.54 KB)

Government Departments: Living Wage

Chris Law: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to his Answer of 10 July 2015 to Question 2952, if he will make it his policy that all Government departments pursue accreditation from the Living Wage Foundation.

Chris Law: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, pursuant to the Answer of 10 July 2015 to Question 2952, if he will make it his policy to secure accredited Living Wage Employer status for his Department from the Living Wage Foundation.

Matthew Hancock: We are the first Government ever to deliver a National Living Wage. Every employer in the country will pay the National Living Wage, including of course all Government departments.

Department for Culture Media and Sport

Broadband: Charnwood

Edward Argar: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2015 to Question 4254, when the introduction of full superfast broadband coverage in (a) Seagrave and (b) Thrussington is planned to be completed.

Mr Edward Vaizey: The village of Thrussington is connected to cabinet 1 of the Rearsby exchange. This cabinet is planned to be upgraded as part of Phase 1 of the Superfast Leicestershire project and expected to go live by the end of March 2016. The cabinet which serves the village’s homes and businesses is located in Thrussington village itself so many premises will be able to achieve superfast speeds of 24Mbps.  The village of Seagrave is served by cabinet 5 of the Sileby exchange. The village is planned to be covered as part of Phase 2 of the Superfast Leicestershire programme. Deployment is expected between late 2016 and autumn 2018. The local project team are working closely with BT and BDUK to accelerate the delivery. Details of the current coverage plans and timetable for homes and businesses in Leicestershire are available from the Superfast Leicestershire project team, although the details will be subject to change during the planning and survey stages. These can be found at: www.superfastleicestershire.org.uk which includes a 'When and Where' page linked to an interactive map.

Broadband: Rural Areas

James Cartlidge: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what role he plans small and medium-sized enterprises and smaller communications providers will have in delivering superfast broadband access to remote premises in his Department's superfast broadband roll-out programme.

Mr Edward Vaizey: Three projects supported through the Rural Community Broadband Fund, are being delivered through small suppliers, and eight contracts have been awarded by local bodies to suppliers other than BT to cover some or all of their project area as part of Phase 2 of the Government’s programme to provide superfast broadband to 95% of homes and businesses in the UK. The Rural Community Broadband Fund allowed communities to apply for funding to support locally delivered superfast broadband projects over 3 separate bidding rounds.

Department of Health

Cancer: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will assess the potential merits of introducing routine follow-up checks for people who have received negative results when tested for cancer.

Jane Ellison: Increasing the capacity of diagnostic and imaging services is clearly recognised as a priority for the National Health Service and it has been raised as a key issue by the independent Cancer Taskforce, as well as by the Cancer Waiting Times Taskforce. We expect a new cancer strategy to be published later this month which will set out the strategy for the system for the next five years and will include consideration of the whole cancer pathway, including the capacity of diagnostic services. However, we are not aware of any specific plans to introduce follow-up checks for people who have received negative results when tested for cancer.   NHS England has launched a major early diagnosis programme (Accelerate, Co-ordinate, Evaluate – ACE), working jointly with Cancer Research UK and Macmillan Cancer Support to test new innovative approaches to identifying cancer more quickly, including offering patients the option to self-refer for diagnostic tests.

Gastrointestinal System

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will take steps to ensure that only hospitals offering endoscopy admit patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding.

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will undertake a review to (a) assess the ability of acute hospitals to manage patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding and (b) compare outcomes for patients with acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage in each hospital.

Ben Gummer: The National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) 3 July report Gastrointestinal Haemorrhage: Time to Get Control? recommends that patients with any acute gastrointestinal (GI) bleed should only be admitted to hospitals with 24/7 access to on-site endoscopy. It is for NHS England to consider whether to take action to take in light of this report.   The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published a quality standard for the management of acute upper GI bleeding. The quality standard states that:   - people with severe acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding who are haemodynamically unstable should be given an endoscopy within two hours of optimal resuscitation; and - people admitted to hospital with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding who are haemodynamically stable should be given an endoscopy within 24 hours of admission.   The Health and Social Care Act (2012) places a duty on NHS England to have regard to NICE quality standards. NHS England would expect clinical commissioning groups to take into account NICE quality standards when commissioning services for people with acute upper GI bleeding.   The Department has no current plans to undertake a review to assess the ability of acute hospitals to manage patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding and compare outcomes for patients with acute upper gastrointestinal haemorrhage in each hospital. This is more a matter for NHS England.

Nurses: Training

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what training is available for nurses in supporting people with learning disabilities in England.

Ben Gummer: It is the responsibility of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to set the standards for education and training and ensure newly qualified nurses are equipped with the knowledge, skills and attitudes to provide high quality patient care including those training in learning disability.   Health Education England (HEE) commissions pre-registration nurse training programmes to ensure an appropriately skilled workforce is available to meet service demand. HEE also develop and commission a range of post graduate and supplementary training programmes to enable qualified nurses to continue to develop and enhance their skills.   HEE plans to undertake a long term piece of work to review curriculums of all National Health Service commissioned training programmes to include recognised areas of health including learning disability, mental illness, physical illness and physical ill health and social support needs. HEE will work with regulatory bodies including the NMC to agree the standards and content for education and training, this is anticipated to be completed by April 2017.   The Winterbourne View Concordat sets out that HEE will work in partnership with system partners, Skills for Care and Skills for Health to ensure the current and future workforce possess skills, competencies and knowledge to provide person centred care and support that is needs led and accessible for individuals with a learning disability, autism and behaviour that challenges. This work is on-going.

Nurses: Training

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many specialist nurses are trained to support people with learning disabilities in England.

Ben Gummer: The following table shows the number of pre-registration learning disability nurse places that were filled as at 31 March in academic years 2012-13 and 2013-14.   The table also details the number of pre-registration nursing places that have been commissioned for academic years 2014-15 and 2015-16.2012-13Actual2013-14Actual2014-15Planned2015-16PlannedLearning disability nurse total618603653664   Source: multi professional education and training budget monitoring returns   In December 2014, Health Education England published their Workforce Plan for England which includes their planned Education and Training Commissions for 2015-16 which is available at the following link:   http://hee.nhs.uk/work-programmes/workforce-planning/

Gastrointestinal System

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, which acute hospitals do not offer 24 hour, seven days a week upper gastrointestinal endoscopy.

Ben Gummer: The Department does not hold this information centrally. However, the recent report Gastrointestinal Haemorrhage: Time to Get Control? published by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death on 3 July 2015 found that 32% (60/185) of hospitals admitting gastrointestinal bleed patients did not have a 24/7 endoscopy service.

Social Services: Inspections

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what his Department's policy is on inspections by the Care Quality Commission of local authorities' commissioning of care services; and if he will make a statement.

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what representations he has received on inspections by the Care Quality Commission of local authorities' performance on commissioning of care services.

Ben Gummer: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers in England. The CQC does not have the power to inspect local authorities but has a power to carry out a special review of the commissioning of adult social care services by local authorities. It has been agreed that any such review should only happen in exceptional circumstances where there is evidence that commissioning is contributing to poor standards of care for service users. Any such review is subject to the agreement of the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.   Ministers’ offices have reported that they have received no letters, meetings and meeting requests since 1 January 2015 about inspections by the CQC of local authorities' commissioning of care services.   A search of the Department’s Ministerial correspondence database has found one item of correspondence received since 1 January 2015 about inspections by the CQC of local authorities' commissioning of care services.

Sports: Exercise

Nusrat Ghani: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if his Department will introduce guidance to local health authorities recommending that they work with local sports bodies to improve fitness and activity levels in the local population.

Jane Ellison: Local authorities have responsibility for the commissioning of health improvement services and it is for them to decide how best to meet local needs and priorities.   In October 2015, Public Health England published ‘Everybody Active, Every Day’, which used evidence from international examples and from over 1,000 local and national stakeholders to suggest ways to increase physical activity and reduce physical inactivity in local communities in England.

Stem Cells: Donors

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps he is taking to increase stem cell donor registration; and what the levels of stem cell donor registration have been in each year since 2010.

Jane Ellison: Since 2010, the Department has provided our delivery partners, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and Anthony Nolan, a total of £16 million in additional, new funding to improve stem cell transplantation. Further funding of £3 million has already been confirmed for 2015-16.   The number of stem cell transplants has increased from 802 in 2010/11 to 1,060 in 2013/14 representing approximately 130 additional lives are being saved each year compared to 2010.   Departmental funding has allowed NHSBT and Anthony Nolan to recruit a panel of over 60,000 young male donors that are much more likely be able to donate bone marrow since 2011. In 2014 the Anthony Nolan and NHS Stem Cell Registry reached the milestone of over one million registered donors.   Departmental investment has also supported the expansion of the NHS Cord Blood Bank that now contains approximately 23,000 stored samples available for transplant and research. Approximately 2,000 samples have been added to the bank every year since 2011. There is a clear target that 40% of cord blood samples should come from minority groups.

Radiotherapy: Copeland

Mr Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to improve access to radiotherapy in Copeland constituency.

Jane Ellison: Access to radiotherapy services for Copeland is a matter for NHS England.   More generally, the Government has made major investments in innovative radiotherapy. The £23 million Radiotherapy Innovation Fund has enabled the National Health Service to achieve 37% of radiotherapy treatments being given by Intensity Modulated Radiotherapy, which is more precise and has fewer side effects. This is ahead of the target of 24%, and up from 5% in 2010. NHS England has committed £6 million to support six trials of more precise stereotactic ablative therapy (SABR), and a further £15 million over three years to evaluate and treat patients with SABR. We have also pledged £250 million for two proton beam therapy centres at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which will be operational by 2018.

Department of Health: Freedom of Information

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what legal costs the Government has incurred to date relating to the Freedom of Information request for the former Secretary of State for Health's diary of engagements referred to in Information Commissioner Decision Notice No. FS50406024 and the subsequent appeals.

Jane Ellison: In house legal advisory costs attributable to this particular case are not separately identifiable. Litigation and Counsel's costs will be accounted for at the end of the process.

Health Services: Greater London

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, with reference to the Answer of 27 November 2014 to Question 215787, health services: Greater London, whether he plans to publish the independent review referred to in that Answer.

Jane Ellison: NHS England London Region’s report on the independent review of the impact of the closure of Central Middlesex and Hammersmith Hospitals Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments on performance against the A&E targets is available from the Healthier North West London website at the following link:   http://www.healthiernorthwestlondon.nhs.uk/sites/default/files/documents/gb-14-july-item-9-ae-review-report-july-2015.pdf

Urgent and Emergency Care Review

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, when the Keogh Review on Urgent and Emergency Care plans to report.

Jane Ellison: In November 2013, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh published his report on Phase 1 of the Urgent and Emergency Care Review, in which he set out NHS England’s vision for improving urgent and emergency care services.   Documentation for Phases 2 and 3 of the review was published in August 2014 and June 2015 respectively. All of these documents are available on the NHS Choices website at:   http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/keogh-review/Pages/published-reports.aspx

Women and Equalities

Government Equalities Office: Press

Mr Mark Hendrick: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, which periodicals and newspapers the Government Equalities Office subscribes to; what quantity of each such periodical is so obtained; and what the cost of such subscriptions was in 2014.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government Equalities Office does not subscribe to any newspaper. In 2014, it subscribed to three periodicals. The table below sets out the cost and quantity of each periodical for 2014/15. Periodical Description Annual Cost FrequencyEmployment Law Brief £913.52 MonthlyEquality Law Reports £328.80 Bi-monthlyEqual Opportunities Review £399 MonthlyTotal cost for 2014/15: £1,641.32   The legal periodicals are an important reference for officials dealing with equality legislation.